1. Technical Field
The inventive arrangements relate generally to video systems and more particularly to video systems that receive video signals containing numerous channels for viewer display.
2. Description of Related Art
Many televisions that receive analog video signals can program into memory those channels that actually contain a broadcast signal. Such an arrangement can permit the television to skip automatically those channels that do not contain broadcast signals thereby eliminating the delay associated with channel surfing through these channels. This skipping of channels is possible because the channels carrying no signals in traditional analog format merely contain random noise or “snow.” As such, the television can quickly distinguish between those channels actually carrying a signal from those that do not.
Notably, however, many consumers currently receive video signals from digital broadcast systems (DBS) such as digital satellite or cable television systems. In such systems, the programming provider typically supplies to the consumer a receiving box, which can receive a digital satellite or cable transmission. Once received, the receiving box typically converts the digital signal into an analog signal and then transfers the signal to the television or, in some instances, a storage medium device such as a DVD recorder. The digital signal is converted into an analog signal for purposes of copyright protection among other reasons.
In contrast to conventional analog signals, each channel in a DBS signal typically contains a video signal, even if one or more of the channels carries no programming. For example, DBS signals such as satellite or cable transmissions offer a wide variety of programming transmitted over tens or even hundreds of channels. Each consumer need not, however, subscribe to every available programming channel. Significantly, however, for each channel to which the consumer does not subscribe, the receiving box normally outputs a video signal that contains a still video pattern that may include a message relating to the unavailability of that particular channel. The signal may also include instructions for subscribing to a particular channel and may also include date and time displays.
As each channel output from a DBS system—even those with no programming—contains a video signal, the television or storage medium device is unable to distinguish between the channels that contain programming from those that do not. As a result, the consumer must scroll through these “blank” channels to find the desired programming, as these channels cannot be skipped automatically. The delay created from flipping through these blank channels can be significant because the consumer may not be a subscriber of a substantial number of the channels offered by the programming provider. Thus, what is needed is an automatic channel scanning system and method to eliminate the delay associated with browsing through channels with no programming.